It Works for Me Wednesday

I get asked all the time if I have any tricks on ways to eat less and resist food temptations. And the answer is, of course I do. There is rarely a time where I am lost for words especially when it comes this topic. Although these aren't super scientific and boarderline neurotic, these work for me:

1) I've got a major sweet tooth. As do majority of women. Studies actually show that females have a significantly higher preference for high-carb, sweet foods - which may encourage or promote over consumption of those foods - than men. According to The Journal of Physiology, it is believed that the female hormone estradiol may play a role. I personally could devour 900 calories of gummy bears in .2 seconds so in order to eliminate the temptation I always, always, always have fruity flavored gum on me. In the car. My purse. Diaper bag. Whenever I get the craving, I pop a piece of 5 calorie sugar free gum in my mouth. It saves me from the highs and lows of unbalanced blood sugar and the chewing factor satisfies my desire to want to eat. Some of my favorites; Good ol' fashion bubble gum, Watermelon, and Orange Creamsicle.

2) I tend to want to fill my plate. And eat it all. In turn, I find myself shoving unneeded calorie after calorie mindlessly into my body. My problem, like most, is that when I fill a little portion into a big bowl, I automatically think, "there's no way that's filling me up." So instead I trick myself into believing I'm eating more by using infant feeding bowls. A 1/2 cup of cottage cheese fills an infant bowl which tricks me into being satisfied. 70 calories later, I'm done and haven't killed my diet.

Ok that's a more neurotic one but it works. The brain is a powerful thing when it comes to food.

3) When I get the urge to want to eat just to eat, which statistically boredom and emotional stress are  two of the reasons we over-eat, I reach for Green Tea. Green Tea has so many health benefits and the water fills you up without adding calories into your body. I'm also a sucker for the large UNsweetended Ice Tea at McDonalds. For a $1.00, it's a great filler-uper.

Ok so no thinking I'm a complete freak for spilling mycrazy secrets.These have helped me tremendously maintain a healthy weight and resist the temptations. I hope you find them helpful too!

L-o-v-e stats

Valentine’s Day, Singles Awareness Day, Hallmark Day — whatever you like to call it, today is February 14th. A day of love and frustration, of proposals and breakups. A day of jewelry and candy and un-met expectations. Exalted by some, loathed by others, but inevitable to all. Time NewsFeed breaks down the mystique of Valentine’s Day the most romantic way of all: with cold, hard statistics for 2012:

$126.03: The average expected amount, per person, that Americans will shell out for the holiday. That’s up 8.5% from last year. Consumers are expected to spend the most on jewelry, at a collective $4.1 billion.

72 million: The average number of Valentine’s cards purchased by parents (40% of all cards sold).

Whether they end up giving the cards to their children is unknown. Either way, 65% of all gifts will take the form of a greeting card. They’re quick, cheap, and best of all, they come with heartfelt messages already written for you.

 $1.8 billion: The amount that will be spent on flowers on flowers alone.

73%: The percentage of men who do the flower giving.

98%: The percentage of men who wait until the last minute to buy a gift.

53%: Watch out men, you might get dumped by this percentage of women if you don't get them anything for V-day.

$52.4 million: The 2010 romantic comedy Valentine’s Day raked in this much cash during its first weekend in theaters.

40%: The estimated increase in requests for divorce lawyers around mid-February each year.

82%: The portion of people who said they’d like an “experience” rather than a gift for the romantic holiday. What these “experiences” entail, and how expensive they are, is unclear. But consumers are expected to put $3.5 billion towards a romantic evening on the town with their partner.

220,000: The average number of wedding proposals on Valentine’s Day each year (10% of the annual total).

70%: The portion of singles who said they wouldn’t mind a blind date for the occasion.

8 billion: The number of Sweethearts Conversation Hearts manufactured each year by the New England Confectionery Company. Though the company began producing candy with messages in 1860, modern Sweethearts date back to 1920, when the sweets were also available in shapes such as watches, baseballs and horseshoes.

15%: The estimated portion of women who will send themselves flowers. (Like Cher in Clueless, perhaps?)

$367 million: Don’t forget your cutesy pup — collectively, consumers spend this much on Valentine’s Day gifts for their pets each year.

5 years: The average number of years longer men will live who kiss their wives in the morning. Do it today men and make it a daily occurrence. Relationships with a greater commitment, experience greater happiness.  

If you do one thing this week...

Tell someone you love exactly why you love them.

And not just I love you because you make me happy. WHY do they make you happy?? Become vulnerable. Raw. Transparent.
  

Last March I wrote a blog about Dave and my special "I Love You Because..." plate. I think this is a perfect time to re-visit that post. Maybe you're marriage or relationship needs something like this to be expressive. Dave and I, thankfully, have wonderful communication but during the midst of a busy season it's easy to become robotic and disconnected. This plate always brings us back.

If you're looking for another way to interject more love in your daily life, here is a super cute tutorial from Lianne over at A Content Housewife on how to create a "Love Message Board."

Love-ly food ideas for Valentine's Day

Totally forgot Valentine's Day is this coming week and honestly this should have been Friday's "Fancy Friday" post but after the "I can't keep this a secret" post on Thursday, I was incredibly busy selling the Ultimate Body Applicator...sooo...you're going to get another post on this quiet Sunday (I love naptime!)

I don't necessarily love the glorified, over-rated, wallet draining aspect of Valentine's Day but I can't deny that I'm a lover and I think the tiniest, unexpected gestures are what matters most. And not just on Valentine's Day (uh-humm men, did you hear that?!?!)  I thought these were adorable ideas that you can do all day long (or just one meal) to say you love and care about someone through something we all love - FOOD.



Valentine's Day Breakfast I'm loving: Heart shaped egg. Adorbs. Thanks Pinterest.

 Valentine's Day lunch I'm loving: Send an edible love note in their lunch box. Thanks Bento Mama!

Valentine's Day Snack I'm loving:  Parents knows that not all sweet treats have to be candy - adorable heart fruit kabobs are just as sweet!

Valentine's Day Dinner I'm loving: It doesn't get much easier than this - heart shaped veggie salad and pizza bread with heart pepperonis courtesty of Workman Family blog.

Sweet Sunday

So today I sat down to blog about a sweet treat for Valentine's Day so I went to one of my favorite dessert blogs for inspiration. Holy overload of adorable and yummy "can't eat just one" treats. Thank you Love from the Oven for making me feel like I have no creative baking bone in my body but inspiring me to try.

I couldn't decide on which one to highlight so here are a few links for you to pick for yourself. If you're looking for inspiration on what to make for your child's class party that will make you look like the Superstar mom, you gotta check out all these ideas.

http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/2012/02/01/bites-from-other-blogs-the-sweetest-valentines-day-sweets-treats/

http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/2012/01/07/bites-from-other-blogs-pink-sweets-treats-valentines-day-recipes/

Although I won't be attempting a layered multi-colored swiring pink cake or those delish looking pink velvet cake balls pictured above. Something about me and those dang cake balls. They defeat me everytime. So you'll find me whipping up something simple like these popcorn balls. I love sweet and salty and you know I'm all about anything low fat, high fiber.

~Popcorn Balls~

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached granulated sugar

1/4 cup (half stick) Earth Balance buttery sticks or regular Earth Balance

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 cups popped popcorn (two quarts), popped however you like - To make it low fat, use the 94% popcorn

1 teaspoon vanilla extract a dab of Wilton coloring paste (she used rose)

A candy thermometer

Directions:

1) Put the sugar, Earth Balance, corn syrup and salt in a medium sized sauce pan. Stir to moisten the sugar.

2) Spread your popcorn out onto a lipped cookie sheet. The popcorn ball process is gonna make a mess on the tray, but the caramel will come off easily with a hot water soak so don't worry.

3) Clip the candy thermometer to your saucepan and bring the caramel ingredients to a boil over medium heat. Stir frequently to make sure the sugar does not burn.

4) Once the caramel comes to a boil, stop stirring. Bring the caramel up to 270F which is just to the hardball stage.

5) Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and color paste. Stir well to distribute the color.

6) Quickly pour the caramel over the popcorn. Use a utencil to distribute the caramel evenly over the popcorn. You want to get it coated as much as possible.

7) Grease your hands and wait for the stuff to get to a temperature you can tolerate. Don't wait too long because it will start to get hard really fast.

8) Form popcorn balls into whatever sizes you like using medium pressure to make the balls uniform and compact. They will get very crunchy when cool.

I agree that the popcorn balls aren't uber cute on their own so here's a catchy printable ("Just POPPING through with a Valentine for you!") to attach to a cellophane bag or tin can from Our Best Bites that ties in the popcorn theme to Valentines Day. I just love the tin can idea. For a tutorial on the tin can trick, click HERE. So crafty.

Or what about "YOU MAKE MY HEART POP!' or "MY HEART POPS FOR YOU!" Oooh now I'm getting crafty. Scary.

I hope this ends your weekend on a sweet note!

I can't keep this a secret...

I can't even begin to explain how flippin' excited I am about this post. My intention of Hailey's Helpful Hints is to bring you daily tips, tricks and product picks that are useful (and helpful) in your everyday. This post is the epitome of that. Hands down, one of the best products I've come across in a long time.

A very long time.

Why? Because EVERYONE wants to look their best! If you want to tighten up your mid-section (or anything from your chin down)...You're tired of looking at that post-baby bulge, beer gut or last year's Christmas dinner...You want to get your sexy back - not that you lost it, just sayin...You want to get healthy, naturally...keep reading.

If you personally know me or have been following my blog for some time you know I am a health & fitness guru. I've been an athlete my entire life. I'm all about calories in - calories out. That you need to get your butt to the gym. Or outside. Just get moving. I was adamant that there was nothing besides eating right and exercising that could get you results.

UNTIL...I came across the line of 'It Works products.' I'm not going to lie - I was the BIGGEST skeptic. I saw a friend who was raving on Facebook about losing 6.5 inches in her mid-section and I thought, "No way. This is a bunch of crap."

But I was curious. So I bought a box of wraps (4 for $59) with the hopes that I too could be wrapped skinny. I know, I know you're thinking, "But you're already so thin." I might be thin but that doesn't mean I'm not full of unhealthy toxins.

So I wrapped. And 45 minutes later, I had lost 1.5" (total of three measurements around my mid-section). First reaction - Yeah, probably not for me. But I knew I had to give it the full 72 hours to work it's magic so I start guzzlin' the water per the directions.

I measured every morning. Another inch. Then another two. By the end of 72 hours, I was down five inches and significantly leaner and toned.

I was perplexed. I couldn't wrap (no pun intended) my head around how this wrap really worked. So I did some research. Here's what I found...

What is The Ultimate Body Applicator?

The Ultimate Applicator is a body applicator (wrap) treatment which was designed to work alongside your body's natural processes to deliver maximum tightening, toning, & firming results when applied to the desired body part(s) - arms, abdomen, buttocks, thighs, back and/or neck. The applicator is a woven cloth that comes pre-treated with a potent all-natural serum which penetrates your skin & breaks down harmful toxins, shrinks fat cells, reduces inflammation, increases circulation, minimizes cellulite & has the power to diminish stretch marks.

My initial thoughts - ok so it's water loss. WRONG.

This body wrap treatment differs greatly from others on the market today, because the inch loss during application is NOT water loss. In fact, during your treatment you are encouraged to drink water, as it better helps the processes of lipolysis (breakdown of fat) and detoxification.

Ok ok so it's starting to make sense. But I was still thinking, HOW THE HECK DOES IT WORK???

The inch loss which is obtained over the course of 72 hours and weeks is introduced at the cellular level through detoxification, micro-circulation, and lipolysis. It's almost too scientific to understand. Essentially this wrap is no different than a trans-dermal "patch" that allow healing agents to get into our bodies without being diluted or neutralized by our digestive system such as a patch to sea sickness, to help one quit smoking, to give pain relief to a headache, to help regulate hormones, etc.

Ah-ha. Although it still seems too good to be true, it's no different than trying to understand how aloe vera relieves pain on a burn; how quickly ginger can settle your stomach; how effectively bran can help your regularity; how jolted you can get from espresso coffee. The fact is that our bodies are regulated by bio-chemical stimulation, and plants are just filled with ingredients that can cause dramatic reactions. It should be no surprise that the right blend of natural plant extracts can trigger such amazing results.

With all that said, I'm a HUGE fan!! I personally just wrapped two girlfriends in the last week and one lost 7" over the 72 hours and one lost 5" within the FIRST 45 minutes!! I'm not lying. The tape measure doesn't lie. Trust me - this WORKS. With all the toxic pollutants in our air and the additives in our processed foods, detoxification is key to keeping our bodies healthy and functioning properly. Does this take the place of eating healthy and working out? Never. It works with.

I encourage you - get a wrap on your body and you won't need the explanation anymore! It's natural, its effective, affordable, and its a product that is causing LOTS of commotion! Never heard of this product? The company, It Works Global, does not pay to have their products endorsed my celebrities. It's all word of mouth but they did just wrap Dr. Oz's personal trainer last week. It was in the Emmy and Oscar celebrity gift packs. Kim Cattrall from Sex & the City and Seth Green (yes this works for men too!) are using it. The buzz is out.

Wondering how to get your hands on these? To order a box of 4 for $59, you can order through http://www.haileyshelpfulwraps.itworks.net/. Think about it - that's less than $15 for one. Do one per week and you're only spending $59 for the entire month. AND you can do it in the privacy of your own home. No more expensive spa prices and stressing about paying a babysitter or finding time.

If you want to try just one, message me @ haileyitworksdawson@gmail.com and I can mail one out to you for $25 plus $3.95 shipping/handling.

My personal favorite - the SKINNY PACK. The defining gel is AH-MAZING!!!!

I truly believe that if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten. If you want a change in your body, you've come to the right spot. Summer is coming sooner than you think. It's time to get wrapped skinny!

Want a total body makeover? Want to lose weight and feel great? Want to get the most out of your workouts? Want to lose weight faster? (Ummm who doesn't!?!) We need to talk. We have an extensive list of fabulous products (Protein Shakes that aren't the GNC crap, Greens to keep you detoxing daily, etc) that will help you achieve your goals. Check them out here!

Rave Review: Yonanas Mixer

Almost everyone loves ice cream. Recent reports show that the average American eats almost five gallons a year! The biggest problem with ice cream, however, is that it is loaded with fat and sugar. Yonanas is offering a unique alternative that means a healthier alternative for you and your family. If you want a healthy alternative to ice cream, you've got to buy the Yonanas Mixer. Dr. Oz loves it and it gets 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon reviews. Forget running to the store for a $6.00 tub of full fat ice cream. For only $50, you can have a refreshing, healthy snack at your finger tips anytime.

What is Yonanas?

Yonanas instantly churns frozen fruit and other flavorings into a delicious and healthy soft-serve treat. Simply peel and freeze any fruit that you want made into the end product of deliciousness. Place frozen fruits into the yonanas maker (works similar to a juicer), and fruit will magically transform into a ice cream like consistency. The combinations of flavors you can make are endless. Bananas, mango, berries, cantaloupe, pineapple - you name it. Like chocolate banana? Add some chocolate jello pudding into the mixer. Crave pistachio ice cream? Do the same with Pistachio pudding. You can add honey, peanut butter, maple syrup, nuts, coconut. Whatever your taste buds desire.

How does it work?

Using the appliance is also fairly straightforward. First, freeze the bananas or other fruit you will be using to make your treat. Bananas that are over-ripe work fine as well. Once they are frozen, simply lift up the lid, place the fruit in the chute and flip the switch. As the fruit is processed, you will have to press down with the plunger-lid to force the frozen fruit through. The frozen treat will then dispense at the bottom right into any bowl. On average, three frozen bananas can make about two servings.

What is the benefit of owning a Yonanas?

One of the biggest benefits Yonanas offers is that it is generally healthier than other frozen treats, specifically ice cream. Where these treats contain a lot of fat, sugar and preservatives, bananas contain only natural sugar and lots of vitamins. This allows you to watch your diet or simply ensure your children aren’t eating unhealthily. It also has the additional benefit of being entirely lactose free, which means those that are lactose intolerant will have an excellent alternative that doesn’t involve soy or other strange ingredients.

Overall, users of Yonanas can save quite a bit of money as well. A pint of ice cream can be almost five dollars in some instances. Compare this to the extremely low cost of a bunch of bananas, and you can see how making your own treats versus buying them in the store can be quite a good alternative. It also can help you save money in that you no longer have to worry about throwing out uneaten bananas once they become over-ripe. These bananas can be frozen instead and used in your machine.

Lastly, the Yonanas machine is also impressive simply due to how easy it is to clean and operate. Unlike an ice cream machine which requires a lot of mixing and ingredients, this machine only needs bananas. This makes it easy enough for even kids to use, though adult supervision is still probably a good idea. Cleaning is also just as easy. The machine comes apart into several different pieces that can be hand-washed or thrown in the dish washer. In no time at all, it is cleaned and ready to be used again.

What people are saying about it:

~The creamy ice cream like texture the Yonana creates can not be duplicated with a food processor, blender or Vitamix.

~The clean up is super easy. It disassembles into 5 washable pieces (hand or dishwasher.)

~It does exactly what it says it's going to do and comes with a recipe book with tasty concoctions.

Can I still use it if I don't like bananas?

It does somewhat rely on the consistency and natural sugar of the bananas but there are concoctions in the recipe book that do not include bananas so the short answer - YES!

Overall, two thumbs UP! A fantastic product, easy to use, a breeze to clean and reassemble. If you want to eat healthier, or just want to have a frozen treat ready at hand, give it a try! I imagine this would be great for a kid's party. Stock up on frozen fruit, let the kids pick their own recipe, and let the fun begin yonana'ing!!

If you're still not sold, what this clip from The Morning Show in Boston on YouTube. They LOVE it!!

If you do one thing this week...

Disinfect your toothbrush.

Just get over a cold? Bristles not yet worn down? No need to buy new; just disinfect.

Here's how:

1. Disinfect a toothbrush in the microwave - Wet the toothbrush bristles and microwave for one minute.

2. Disinfect a toothbrush with hydrogen peroxide - Soak bristles in hydrogen peroxide for several minutes, then rinse thoroughly with hot water.

3. Disinfect a toothbrush with Listerine - Soak bristles in Listerine for several minutes, then rinse thoroughly with hot water.

4. Disinfect a toothbrush in the dishwasher - Dishwashers clean and disinfect our dishes so why not our toothbrushes? Just put in the silverware tray and run the dishwasher as usual.

Wondering if you can really re-catch a cold from your toothbrush? According to Slate.com, the answer is no, unless it's someone else's toothbrush (or someone else's cold). Much like the admonition from shampoo companies to "lather, rinse, repeat," the idea that a toothbrush must be replaced seems designed to sell more product. Once you've been infected with a particular strain of a virus, you develop antibodies that make the likelihood of re-infection very low. Even if the virus were still hanging out on your toothbrush after you recovered—colds and flus can survive there in an infective state for anywhere from a few hours to three days—those antibodies should keep you from contracting the same illness twice. Your toothbrush is no more dangerous while you're still sick, since the viral load on the bristles is negligible compared with what's already in your system.

It is possible to re-infect yourself with bacteria, however. If you were afflicted with strep throat, for example, a colony of streptococcal bacteria might end up on your toothbrush and remain there long enough to give you a second case after you'd taken a course of penicillin. But that threat might be mitigated by toothpaste, which sometimes contains antibacterial compounds. And, despite the claims of toothbrush manufacturers, this wouldn't apply to a typical case of the (viral) sniffles.

It is possible to catch a cold, a bacterial infection, or even a blood-borne disease such as Hepatitis B or C from someone else's toothbrush. (It's an especially bad idea to use a sick person's toothbrush while the bristles are still wet.) Even if you don't put it in your mouth, the infected implement might contaminate another toothbrush nearby: When two are stored in the same cup, their bristles sometimes come into contact. A dirty toothbrush might also pass bacteria or virus particles to the rim of a toothpaste tube, and then on to another toothbrush from there.

Despite all this, the American Dental Association isn't overly concerned over the microorganisms living on your toothbrush bristles. Generally speaking, our immune systems are up to the task of fighting off any illnesses that might result from them. The ADA does suggest rinsing off your toothbrush after brushing, storing it in a position that allows it to air dry, and keeping it away from other toothbrushes. The association also recommends replacing your toothbrush every three to four months, once the bristles are frayed and worn, but not in the aftermath of every cold.

Sweet Sunday

In need of a last minute Super Bowl dessert? This might just be your saving grace thanks to Cookiesandcups.com. This recipe includes a boxed cake mix which always makes baking easy peasy, four ingredients total and is ooey gooey. A dessert must in my book.

~Rolo Cake Mix Bars~

Ingredients:
1 box (18.25 oz) yellow, vanilla or white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1, 5 oz can evaporated milk
1/4 cup melted butter
40 Rolo Candies, unwrapped and cut in half

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°.
2) Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
3) With your mixer, beat cake mix, evaporated milk and butter until combined. Mixture will be thick and sticky.
4) Divide batter in half and press 1 half into the bottom of the pan.
5) Bake until just set, approximately 8-9 minutes.

6) Remove base from oven and place Rolo candies, caramel-side down on top.

7) Drop remaining batter on top of Rolos in teaspoon sized amounts.
8) Bake for 20-24 minutes longer until top begins to golden.
9) Cool completely before cutting into squares.

I hope this ends your weekend on a sweet note!

Fancy Friday

What tickled my fancy this week you're wondering? Hands down, without question the book, Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist. Like her first book, Cold Tangerines - that I raved about awhile back - this is equally inspiring if not more. Cold Tangerines left you wanting to find celebration in all things. Bittersweet, however, wants the reader to recognize that in life we need the bitter and the sweet, that there is both something broken and something beautiful, that there is a moment of lightness on even the darkest of nights.

It's raw. It's real. It's relatable. It's a book that will make you ravenous - turning page after page, highlighting, underlining, nodding your head in agreement, possibly even applauding at the end of some chapters. For me I found myself with tears running down my face on the airplane last weekend.

I don't want to give too much away but just know that combination of its honesty and hope in the presence of hard circumstances is something that you'll find encouraging and inspiring, regardless of the season you find yourself in. Her writing style is captivating, witty and so easy to connect with. Bittersweet is a must read.